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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have high blood pressure caused by a pheochromocytoma, excessive force on your artery walls can seriously damage many of your vital organs. The higher your blood pressure or the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.
Untreated high blood pressure may lead to:
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Kidney failure
- Acute respiratory distress
- Confusion
- Psychosis
- Seizures
- Visual impairment
- Premature death
A severe increase in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis) may occur with sudden release of a large amount of adrenaline hormones from the tumor. Any reading above 180/110 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is considered severe high blood pressure. This can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as stroke or abnormal heart rhythm (heart arrhythmia).
Long-term exposure to these hormones can cause:
- Damage to your heart muscle
- Congestive heart failure
- An increased risk of diabetes
- Neumann HP. Pheochromocytoma. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2902847. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
- Young WF, et al. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
- Fitzgerald PA. Endocrine disorders. In: McPhee SJ. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment. Los Altos, Calif.: Lange Medical Publications. 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=14198. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
- Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. In: Kronenberg HM, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/121640013-2/0/1555/94.html. Accessed Feb. 20, 2009.
- Hebert CJ, et al. Hypertensive crises. Primary Care. 2008;35:475. Accessed Feb. 21, 2009.
